Andover Public Schools are using a $17,000 federal grant to shore up its cell phone use policy for students and create distraction-free classrooms at Andover High School.
The district used the Approaches to Address Student Cellphone Use Pilot Grant to purchase caddies teachers use to store cellphones during classes, according to district spokesperson Nicole Kieser. Students are still allowed to use phones before and after school, as well as in between classes.
According to the AHS student handbook, students receive a warning the first time they violate the policy and could have their phones confiscated for subsequent offenses.
At Andover’s middle schools, students can’t use their phones during the school day and can only make calls with permission. Otherwise, phones have to be turned off and stored in lockers.